05 December 2008

Helius Energy wins Green Award

Leading biomass energy company Helius Energy plc (Helius Energy) celebrated today (5 December) after winning the ‘Best Environmental Initiative Award’ at the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2008.

The award, which was presented at a gala ceremony in Edinburgh last night, recognises Helius Energy’s innovative GreenSwitch™ project at Rothes.

Helius Energy plc and The Combination of Rothes Distillers Limited (CoRD) have entered into an agreement to develop a GreenSwitch™ small scale biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation plant at the CoRD site at Rothes on Speyside.

A new GreenFields™ plant on the existing site will turn the liquid co-product of whisky production, known as Pot Ale, into a concentrated organic fertiliser for use by local farmers.

John Seed, Managing Director of Helius Energy, said:

“It is a real honour for Helius Energy to win this award as it recognises the contribution that our novel and integrated technologies can play in providing sustainable renewable power and reducing the carbon footprint of other agricultural and industrial processes. We are delighted that the judges have seen that our GreenFields™ technology can have implications beyond the initial installation and reduce the environmental impact of a range of different operations.”

Jason Ormiston, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:

“The winners and finalists at the Green Energy Awards are all heroes, highlighting an excellent year for the renewable energy industry in Scotland. The projects recognised in the Green Energy Awards single out excellence and reflect a growing body of evidence that Scotland is moving towards a flourishing low carbon economy.”
 
Paul Cowling, Managing Director of npower renewables, the headline sponsor of the Scottish Green Energy Awards, said:

“The renewables industry is an extremely dynamic sector and the high calibre of the winners demonstrates this. We congratulate all the winners, as well as Scottish Renewables for acknowledging the contribution thousands of people in Scotland make to ensure Scotland's green future.”

- ENDS -

Notes for Editors

• The Helius Group was established to develop, install and operate biomass fired renewable electricity generation plants. These will help meet the growing need for reliable power from renewable fuels that help to overcome the issues of climate change associated with fossil fuels like coal and oil.
• The management team has over 50 years collective experience in the energy, manufacturing, biomass and agribusiness sectors, with extensive knowledge of renewable energy markets, biomass energy technologies and related economics.
• Rothes is the first 5-8 MWe GreenSwitch™ project. These are modular biomass power stations which are capable of utilising wet biomass and which will be located alongside existing industries which produce suitable co-products, such as distilleries and breweries.
• The solid grain residue left after fermentation is known as Draff. Pot Ale is the high-protein liquid residue from the still.
• The GreenFields™ process takes the co-products from distillery operations (including process water, pot ale and draff) and turns them into value inputs such as biomass fuel, liquid soil conditioner and animal feed.
• The Combination of Rothes Distillers was founded in 1904 to process the Pot Ale produced by the whisky distilleries in the Rothes area. It is owned by a combination of distilling companies – comprising The Edrington Group, Chivas Brothers, Glen Grant Distillery Ltd, Inver House Distillers, Diageo and Benriach Distillery Co. – and employs 21 people.

For further details contact

John Seed, Managing Director                 Helius Energy plc                        01642 438 540
Ken Cronin                                             Gavin Anderson & Company        0207 554 1400
Kate Hill
Robert Speed

Photography by Rob McDougall.

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